Trade credit is a form of short-term financing employed by non-financial firms in inter-firm trade. This study examines the incidence and the motives for extending trade credit among agro-food manufacturing firms in Africa. The study uses a subsample of agro-food firms from 2014 World Bank Enterprise Survey data from eight African countries: Burundi, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and South Sudan. The incidence of trade credit is relatively high among agro-food firms as 60.5% and 55% of firms extend and receive trade credit respectively. However, the mean proportion of yearly total input purchases received as trade credit (22%) is higher than the mean proportion of yearly total sales extended as trade credit (19%). From the two-limit Tobit estimation, firm size, manager experience, degree of product diversification, access to bank credit, overdraft availability and supplier credit are found to play a significant role in the level of trade credit firms extend to customers. However, when supplier credit is added to the model, it completely absorbs the effect of access to bank credit. For suspected endogeneity of supplier credit, an instrumental variable (IV) two-limit Tobit is estimated and the results show no presence of endogeneity. From the results, transaction, quality verification, marketing and long-term relationship motives for extending trade credit to customers are implied.


We report a novel DNA-programmed plasmonic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the ultrasensitive detection of protein biomarkers with the naked eye. The DNA-programmed plasmonic assay was based on two enzyme-free and isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods: hybridization chain reaction (HCR) and catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA). In this study, a biotin-labeled DNA probe was utilized insteand of an enzyme-label probe in well-developed ELISA method. The biotin-labeled DNA probe was able to trigger the HCR and CHA processes, and the products could hybridize with DNA-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to induce the aggregation of the AuNPs and a color change in the solution. The developed method was able to detect as low as 1 pg mL-1 PSA target with the naked eye. Clinical serum samples demonstrated satisfactory results, indicating that the method is useful for early diagnostics and monitoring curative effects after a medical treatment. The developed method presents a simple and portable platform for ultrasensitive protein detection and has potential for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics in less developed areas.


Y2O3 coatings were prepared on aluminum substrates using plasma spraying with argon as primary gas. Structure and morphology were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and metallographic analysis. Results show that Y2O3 coating's porosity is 5.6%. Coatings prepared with helium as secondary gas are purely white. However, there are black spots when hydrogen is used as secondary gas. A phase transformation from cubic to monoclinic tends to take place during the spraying operation under argon and hydrogen atmosphere. However this prejudicial transformation can be suppressed by using helium instead of hydrogen.


Purpose Due to the alarming reports on climate change probably caused by industrial and human activities, the awareness that "we need to do something" is growing in society. And there is not much time – in 2050 CO2-emissions need to be reduced by 80%, compared to the levels some decade ago. In this a huge challenge is to pinpoint where we want to arrive, and what an improved future forecast may look like. Gazing as far as to 2050 would be accurate, however taking such a large leap can be considered as such a large effort that it paralyses rather than encourages action. As there is a need to start acting immediately to be able to alter the development, we have chosen to, as a first step, take a look at what should and can be accomplished during a shorter period of time, and start by gazing towards 2020. The paper aims at the logistics- and transport domain. The purpose of the paper is to describe and discuss desirable scenarios regarding sustainable transport- and logistics systems by 2020. Research approach The basis for this paper is a series of focused group meetings in a "Think-tank" setting, where actors representing shippers, logistics- and transport providers and authorities were gathered into group discussions. The task given to the participants was to discuss what goals they perceived as both necessary to reach, and realistic to have reached, by 2020. Scenarios were built based on notes from four researchers acting "flies-on the-wall" in the Think-tank. Findings and Originality The findings of this paper are presented as a scenario, or a "report from the future", of the situation for transport and logistics in 2020 when the development has become more sustainable. The data gathering and scenario building was initially focused on CO2-emissions, however an aspect that emerged as perhaps even more relevant was the more general discussion on resources and energy. The scenarios include innovations in product development and delivery, elaborations on the global centralisation trends, new views on delivery service aspects and collaborative initiatives. Research impact The paper takes mainly a corporate approach to transport and logistics. It provides insight into what can be realistic goals in a close future, and which changes are needed to reach these goals. Practical impact The paper can provide a basis for further discussions among practitioners on where to direct future actions.


This paper reviews the practices of multidisciplinary teamwork (MDT) for cancer care in three large teaching hospitals in separate jurisdictions. Ethnographic observations provide the main source of data, which are verified though interviews, and in some cases by surveys and analysis of video recordings. We demonstrate how MDT practices develop among different groups, and in different jurisdictions. Common practices are identified and differences explained. Work practice analysis is an integral part of our research, and this study provides insights into medical teamwork and decision-making.


This letter presents a planar wideband polarization diversity antenna for mobile terminals. The antenna consists of two orthogonally oriented quasi-complementary antennas (QCA) formed by the combination of an electric dipole and a magnetic slot and located at the separate ends of a mobile ground plane. The studies with a single quasi-complementary antenna element show that the electric dipole and the magnetic slot are partly compensating each other providing large bandwidth and offering good radiation properties. The measured -6-dB impedance bandwidth of the individual QCA is from 1.8 to 4.6 GHz, corresponding to an 87.5% relative bandwidth. The measured S21 is less than - 18 dB within the - 6-dB impedance bandwidth. The average measured total efficiency at the aforementioned bandwidth is - 0.95 dB. The measured radiation patterns are presented at 2 and 4 GHz with orthogonal polarizations. Finally, the measured envelope correlation and effective diversity gain (EDG) as a function of frequency are presented, with a maximum correlation less than 0.01 and EDG better than 8.0 dB.


Fresh mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) were inoculated in the stem, gill, or cap with Clostridium botulinum spores. They were placed with uninoculated mushrooms in paper board trays, which were then covered and sealed in a polyvinyl chloride stretch film to simulate prepackaged mushrooms available at retail stores. When incubated at 20 C, botulinum toxin could be detected as early as day 3, or 4, when the mushrooms still appear edible. Mushrooms inoculated in the stem with 1,000 type A spores frequently became botulinogenic; higher spore levels were needed if gills or caps were inoculation sites. Type B spores were less apt to produce toxic mushrooms. Respiration of the fresh mushrooms used up O2 more rapidly than could enter through the semipermeable wrapping film, so that the equilibrium O2 concentration became low enough for growth of C. botulinum. Inoculated mushrooms did not become botulinogenic when held at 4 C.


Objectives: To prospectively investigate the utility of serial echocardiography in detecting early signs of fetal AV conduction anomalies to prevent the development of complete fetal AV block in anti-Ro/La-positive women. Methods: Between 2003 and 2006, AV time intervals (AVIs) were serially measured in 130 fetuses by simultaneous SVC/aorta and MV/aorta pulse-wave Doppler as part of their echocardiographic study. The initial protocol recommended six fetal scans between 18 and 32 weeks which was reduced to four examinations (20–24 weeks) since 2005. Included cases had at least two examinations at 1–2-week intervals, with the majority (75%) between 20 and 24 weeks. AVI measurements were compared to gestational-age matched reference data from our institution. Firstdegree AVB was defined as AVI prolongation > 95% CI. Results: AVIs were determined from 367 echocardiographic studies. Mean + SD SVC/aorta and MV/aorta Doppler AVI values (112 + 16 ms; 117 + 11 ms) did not differ from those in normal controls (108 ± 9 ms; 116 ± 8 ms; NS). Only two (1.5%) of the 130 cases presented with prolonged AVI (155 ms; 240 ms) before 24 weeks. Case 1 was closely monitored until delivery without treatment, while Case 2 also had endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE) and received perinatal steroids and ivIG. In both cases, the AV conduction remained unchanged and first-degree AVB (PR duration: 160 ms; 248 ms) was confirmed postnatally. Of the remaining 128 cases with normal AVI, one (0.7%) received steroids for isolated EFE while another (0.7%) developed complete AVB after 24 weeks' gestation, in spite of normal AVIs in the serial examinations. Conclusions: During the period of highest fetal risk of developing AVB, Doppler-derived AVIs remained within the normal range in most cases (> 98%). Of those with immune-mediated fetal abnormalities (prolonged AVI; EFE), this was either detected on the initial scan (n = 3) or not detectable (late-onset AVB) by serial echocardiography.


Information acquisition is an essential part of engineering design processes. However, the nature of information requests is still not well understood. Hence, a research project was carried out in collaboration with the aerospace group of a major power systems company, with the aim of characterising the requests formed when designing that make engineering designers search through external sources. In this project, information requests were studied using an ethnographic participation, a diary study and observations with shadowing. This paper presents the research undertaken to characterise information requests based on their objective, subject and response process. An information request can be considered as a speech act or conscious thought expressing a need related to the design task in hand.


Steering angle features prominently in accident and driver behavior analysis or other applications, but can hardly be recorded in most monitoring devices such as vehicle traveling data recorder. According to vehicle kinematics model, this paper proposes a solution for steering angle determining based on longitudinal velocity and lateral acceleration signals. Simulation and experiments have been conducted to prove the method feasibility and reliability. Furthermore, trajectory reconstruction is demonstrated as one of the many applications of the steering angle estimation.


Background Many patients with advanced heart failure (AHF) do not estimate their disease as life-limiting. Often, patients have a lack of knowledge about their health status, the prognosis, and treatment options. Communication about end-of-life care preferences has been neglected for this group in Germany, so far. Therefore, we developed an advance care planning (ACP) consultation for older patients (70 years and older) with AHF. Aim To gain insight into the patients' perception of the ACP consultation. Methods A trained physician facilitated ACP consultation in about 20 patients in a geriatric hospital. The patients' perceptions were evaluated using semi-structured interviews. Both the consultations and interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We analysed the data according to the qualitative content analysis and identified patterns. Results Preliminary analyses reveal the following three types of patients' perceptions: a) patients who are keen on ACP; b) patients who already have an advance directive and consider ACP finished; c) patients who find it difficult to talk about end-of-life care preferences. Discussion In all three subgroups specific elements of ACP are useful. Even if patients already have an advance directive, they often have a lack of knowledge about its content and impact. This indicates the necessity of a basic education about ACP – in addition to information about their disease. Conclusion The preliminary findings suggest that ACP consultations should be individually tailored to each patient. Both the appropriate time for initiation and a familiar facilitator appear to be decisive for an open ACP discussion in this patient group.


Secondary cloud forests (SCFs), those that regenerate naturally following abandonment of human activities in previously deforested land, are of great value as refuges of high species diversity and for their critical role in hydrological regulation. This opinion paper analyzes the main environmental, socio-economic, and regulatory aspects that currently hamper the sustainable use and conservation of SCFs in Mexico for the provision of timber and ecosystem services. The main constraints identified include contradictory norms and policies and the marginalization of smallholders in timber production activities. Developing economic incentives for forest product harvesting and provision of ecosystem services derived from SCFs, while also addressing legal and normative aspects related to their sustainable use, is paramount. Given the high heterogeneity in floristic composition and stand structure of SCFs among localities, technical and social norms for sustainable use should be sufficiently flexible to allow adaptive management approaches. Future research areas should be focused on monitoring the response of SCFs to silvicultural interventions, documenting existing traditional practices as well as conducting socio-economic analyses of timber production and associated ecosystem services. This is essential for developing sound policies and approaches for the sustainable use and long-term management of SCFs in Mexico.


Standard treatment for autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) due to warm antibodies includes combinations of glucocorticoids, immunosuppressive drugs (mainly azathioprine) and splenectomy. Patients who are refractory or intolerant to these therapies constitute an important therapeutic challenge. Rituximab, an anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody, can effectively deplete B-cells and is commonly used in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In addition, it is being increasingly used in autoimmune disorders, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, AIHA, systemic lupus erythematosus or vasculitis. We report a case of warm AIHA associated to primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The patient was refractory to high-dose corticosteroids. Splenectomy was discarded in view of the high risk of thrombotic and/or hemorrhagic perioperative complications, due to the presence of APS. After treatment with four weekly doses of rituximab the patients had a rapid and sustained response which allowed progressive tapering of prednisone dose to 5 mg/d. In addition, IgM anticardiolipin titres decreased from > 600 MPL to < 100 MPL. Thirteen further cases of warm AIHA in adults treated with rituximab have been reviewed, showing excellent tolerance and high response rates. Rituximab may be considered prior to splenectomy in patients with refractory AIHA and high risk of complications following splenectomy.


The Administrative and Social History of the Qajar Period: The Story of My Life. Vol. 1: From Agha Mohammad Khan to Naser ed-Din Shah. Vol. 2: From Mozaffar ed-Din Shah to Vosuq od-Dowleh's Anglo-Persian Agreement. Vol. 3: From the "Agreement Cabinet" of Vosuq odDowleh to the End of the Constituent Assembly, by Abdollah Mostofi. Tr. by Nayer Mostofi Glenn. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 1997. xlviii + 1177 pages. Index to p. 1185. $89. Reviewed by Hafez Farmayan This delightfully readable book has been one of the most popular items on the reading list of well-educated Iranians for over half a century. Now, thanks to the labors of the author's daughter and the efforts of an enterprising publisher, an English translation of this work has become available for readers who are not proficient in the Persian language. Abdollah Mostofi, the youngest of eight children, was born in 1876 to a distinguished Persian family of bureaucrats. In 1942 he set out to tell the story of his life and that of the lives of his ancestors. In the preface to his book he states: "The story of my life does not contain anything extraordinary. The purpose of this narrative is to give a picture of the social life of the period and especially to clarify the administrative procedures of the government during the past sixty or seventy years of my life" (Vol. I, p. xix). This enormous three-volume work, which is 1,824 pages in the original Persian, is basically a patchwork of memories that constitute a chronological narrative. It begins with the first Qajar ruler, who hired the author's grandfather as a clerk in 1779. It ends with an account of the last king of the Qajar Dynasty, who was deposed in 1925. The first Persian-language volume was published in 1942, and the third appeared in 1946. Throughout the text, the author ably ties the story of his own family with those of the ruling monarchs of the Qajar Dynasty. This approach allows him to deal with the political, as well as the administrative and social, aspects of Persian life. A great storyteller, the author vivaciously weaves into his narrative many pleasing tales from Persian lore with recent events of history. In simple direct prose, he gives fascinating descriptions of everyday life in l9th- and early 20th-century Iran. Also included are highly informative, often greatly interacting, references to such diverse things as: the coronation of Qajar monarchs, weddings amongst the peasants, Persian food, ethnic jokes, relations between families, women's activities, religious ceremonies, education of the elite, public finance, medical practices, and agrarian and rural life. Through these and many other subjects the author treats the central concept of his book-the ways in which politics and administration were conducted in the Persian Empire. The scope of this review does not permit a detailed description of the contents of this lengthy enterprise. In general, the thing to remember is that the author is not a historian and that, despite its title, the book is not a history in the conventional form. "I have repeatedly mentioned in my writings that I do not claim to be a historian. I have deliberately refused to write history in the absolute sense of the word" (Vol. III, p. xv). What the author offers in each of these volumes is a mass of information, unstructured and undocumented, but welcomed and accepted as accurate by readers who themselves had lived through the times about which Mostofi wrote so well. The major part of volume one describes the political and social lives of Iranians during the rule of Naser al-Din Shah (1848-96). Among the many issues presented, the following stand out: the Shah's journeys to Europe; the traditional system of Qajar bureaucracy; Naser al-Din's administrative reforms; the Shah's relationships to his ministers; and, finally, Naser al-Din Shah's private life. The latter subject is most entertaining and extremely original. The second volume of Mostofi's memoirs covers the years 1896 to 1919. …


: The subspace-based techniques are widely utilized to estimate the parameters of sums of complex sinusoids corrupted by noise, and the zoom ESPRIT algorithm utilizes the zoom technique to apply the ESPRIT to a narrow frequency band to improve the accuracy of frequency estimation. However, the Gaussian noise becomes non-Gaussian in the zoomed baseband after being filtered by a low-pass filter, and thus has an unknown covariance matrix. However, most exiting algorithms for model order estimation performs poorly for the case of colored noise with unknown covariance matrix. In order to accurately estimate the dimension of the signal subspace for the zoom ESPRIT algorithm, this paper proposes a novel strategy to estimate the number of signals for the case of colored noise with unknown covariance matrix. The proposed strategy is based on the analysis of the behavior of information theoretic criteria utilized in model order selection. Firstly, a first criterion is defined as the ratio of the current eigenvalue and the mean of the next ones, and its properties is analyzed with respect to the over-modeling and under-modeling. Secondly, a novel second criterion is designed as the ratio of the current value and the next value of the first criterion, and its properties is also analyzed with respect to the over-modeling and under-modeling. Then, a novel signal number estimation method is proposed by combining the second criterion with the first criterion to check whether the eigenvalue being tested is arising from a signal or from noise. The resulted signal number estimation method is called as the double criterion-based estimator as it utilizes two criteria to separate the signal eigenvalues from the noise eigenvalues. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed double criterion-based estimator and compare it with the existing methods.


Included in the tract studied are four sedimentary formations and the recent alluvium. These formations are in the order of their deposition: the Mint Canyon, the Modelo, the Saugus, and the old alluvium or terrace deposits. The Mint Canyon and the Saugus formations are both of terrestrial origin; the Modelo is of marine. The area is of especial interest because each of the beds rests unconformably on the next under it, and because the boundary of the basin of deposition is included in its extent. This evidences itself with the thinning of the Modelo and the overlapping of the Saugus onto the Mint Canyon. There has also been deformation and minor faulting, especially in the northern portion.


To design an all-terrain vehicle, it is required that the transmission system should withstand all the hurdles on the terrain. The terrain includes the mud pool, rock crawl, dunes etc. The main aim of the transmission system is to provide required torque and power that is being generated by engine to the wheels as per cockpit sitting driver requirement. This include economically simplifying the design of transmission system without compromising the performance and safety standards. This motion comprises of material selection, material procurement, gearbox designing, gearbox manufacturing, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and simulation test to check for the failure. Since All-terrain vehicle is prone to uneven road conditions and harsh environment due to which a concept of constant and continuous power transmission should be embedded in its design. For which a continuous variable transmission (CVT) i.e. pulley and belt system and designed gearbox work hand in hand to obtain the desired reduction ratio. For designing a transmission system tractive effort, gradability, vehicle resistance, and vehicle maximum speed is to be calculated. With the above-calculated data, the required reduction ratio is calculated. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is done for the validation of the design.


Due to the conciseness and flexibility, regular expressions have been widely adopted in Network Intrusion Detection Systems to represent network attack patterns. However, the expressive power of regular expressions accompanies the intensive computation and memory consumption which leads to severe performance degradation. Recently, graphics processing units have been adopted to accelerate exact string pattern due to their cost-effective and enormous power for massive data parallel computing. Nevertheless, so far as the authors are aware, no previous work can deal with several complex regular expressions which have been commonly used in current NIDSs and been proven to have the problem of state explosion. In order to accelerate regular expression matching and resolve the problem of state explosion, we propose a GPU-based approach which applies hierarchical parallel machines to fast recognize suspicious packets which have regular expression patterns. The experimental results show that the proposed machine achieves up to 117 Gbps and 81 Gbps in processing simple and complex regular expressions, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed parallel approach not only resolves the problem of state explosion, but also achieves much more acceleration on both simple and complex regular expressions than other GPU approaches.


The number of children fleeing and/or seeking asylum alone without parents or guardians has been increasing during the last decade worldwide, where Sweden has been receiving the largest number of asylum claims by unaccompanied minors (UAM) in Europe. This paper addresses the Swedish case by giving an overview of the policies and practices in relation to the introductory stage determining how they are treated in Sweden. We also investigate the situation of UAM during their youth. While doing these we focus on areas where there is a need for improvement and we provide a model for a more incorporated approach that integrates the different stages that UAM go through in their lives. The introductory stage consists of the reception and the asylum process. The policies and practices in relation to the main sub-areas of the reception and asylum processes are discussed in relation to the well-being of this group and in relation to integration as well as consonance with the UN conventions.


ABSTRACT Background Deficiency in DNA damage response (DDR) pathway and accumulation of DNA damage increases mutation rates resulting in genomic instability and eventually increases the risk of cancer. The aim of our study was to investigate expressions of DNA repair genes as new prognostic biomarkers in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods We utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas AML project (TCGA-LAML cohort, 15 acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and 155 non-APL AML) for the expression data of DNA repair genes. For validation, clinical samples (Ewha study group, 9 APL and 72 non-APL AML patients) were analyzed for the expression of 22 DNA repair genes using a custom RT2 Profiler PCR Array. Results APL patients presented significantly lower expression of DNA repair genes than non-APL AML patients in both study groups. Among non-APL AML patients, high expression levels of PARP1, XRCC1, and RAD51 were associated with poor overall survival (OS) probability in both study groups. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis showed that increased expression levels of PARP1, XRCC1, RAD51, BRCA1 and MRE11A could be independent risk factors for OS in the Ewha study group. Among non-APL patients of the Ewha study group, the OS probability of DDR-overexpressed group with at least one gene or more showing Z score greater than 1.5 was poorer than that of DDR non-overexpressed group. Conclusion In the current study, the DNA repair gene expression profile of APL patients was different from that of non-APL AML patients. Overexpression of DNA repair genes could be a poor prognostic biomarker in non-APL AML.


Background: Fatigue is one of the cancer symptoms most often reported by patients receiving radiation therapy (XRT). Understanding the mechanism behind the development of cancer-related fatigue will enable the design of novel interventions for radiation-induced fatigue. This research proposal is designed to determine the association between mitochondrial bioenergetics and fatigue in prostate cancer patients receiving XRT.
Methods and Results: We proposed a mechanism of mitochondrial bioenergetics for cancer-related fatigue based on a molecular-genetic approach, linking impaired ATP production as a consequence of XRT. This prospective, hypothesis-testing project uses a matched case-control, repeated-measures design. Peripheral blood will be collected from each subject at 3 timepoints (baseline, midpoint, and endpoint) to determine mitochondrial bioenergetics profile. Fatigue will be measured using validated questionnaires (The revised Piper Fatigue Scale and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System for Fatigue). Based on preliminary findings, we hypothesize that decreased BCS1L leads to a decrease of Rieske iron-sulfur protein incorporation into complex III. This incomplete complex III leads to a defect in complex III activity and causes impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation which results in decreased ATP production, contributing to fatigue. An increased fatigue score and decreased mitochondrial bioenergetics profile are anticipated to be observed during XRT. Furthermore, increased fatigue scores will be associated with decreased mitochondrial bioenergetics in fatigued prostate cancer patients undergoing XRT.
Conclusion: Our hypothesis provides a mechanism for impaired ATP production as a major consequence of XRT that leads to debilitating radiation-induced fatigue.
Implications for Practice: The results have the potential to identify targets for pharmacological and, in particular, nutraceutical interventions and initiate a new direction for design of interventions for cancer-related fatigue.


Abstract : Identification of genes driving prostate carcinogenesis will lead to new cancer treatment. The human chromosome 8q24.21 region has been linked with increased risk for prostatic carcinoma but the how this region contributes to prostate carcinogenesis is unknown. We cloned a candidate gene, POU5F1B (also called POU5F1P1), in this gene desert of 1.2Mb between FAM84B and the c-MYC oncogene. POU5F1B is a pseudogene of embryonic Oct4 (POU5F1). A recent study found that tumor Oct4 found in prostate cancer cells is due to the gene expression of POU5F1B, not embryonic Oct4 (POU5F1). In a dataset of 171 patients, it was found that tumor Oct4 was significantly increased in primary tumors and markedly increased in metastatic tumors, when compared to normal prostate or adjacent normal tissues. Based on the analyses and our preliminary data, we think, tumor Oct4, expressed from POU5F1B in the prostate cancer susceptibility loci 8q24, is a driver of prostate tumor formation and progression, and therefore, this driver is a novel target of intervention to eliminate prostate cancer. We propose to further determine the roles of tumor Oct4 in prostate tumor formation and metastasis. We hope we can validate whether tumor Oct4 can be targeted to inhibit prostate cancer progression and metastasis. In addition, we will map out the regions critical for Oct4 to promote prostate carcinogenesis so that we can target this region to develop therapeutics for cancer treatment in the future.


Packet scheduling in switches is not programmable; operators only choose among a handful of scheduling algorithms implemented by the manufacturer. In contrast, other switch functions such as packet parsing and header processing are becoming programmable [10, 3, 6]. This paper presents a programmable packet scheduler that allows operators to program a variety of scheduling algorithms. Our design exploits the insight that any scheduling algorithm can be deconstructed into two decisions: in what order packets depart and when they depart. The algorithms only differ in how the order and departure times are computed. We show how these decisions map to two well-understood abstractions: priority and calendar queues [11]. Priority and calendar queues can then be composed together to realize a broad range of sophisticated scheduling algorithms. Further, both abstractions can be realized using the same mechanism: a programmable push-in first-out queue (PIFO) that allows a packet to push itself into an arbitrary location in a queue by programming a packet field. A PIFO is feasible in hardware. Preliminary synthesis indicates that an unoptimized hardware design meets timing at 1 GHz on a 16 nm technology node and occupies only 5% additional die area relative to existing merchant-silicon switching chips.


General image retrieval is often carried out by a text-based search engine, such as Google Image Search. In this case, natural language queries are used as input to the search engine. Usually, the user queries are quite ambiguous and the returned results are not well-organized as the ranking often done by the popularity of an image. In order to address these problems, we propose to use both textual and visual contents of retrieved images to reRank web retrieved results. In particular, a machine learning technique, a multi-view clustering algorithm is proposed to reorganize the original results provided by the text-based search engine. Preliminary results validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.


Due to the various advantages, e.g. low cost, simple construction and high reliability, the HPFL strip reinforcement technique has been widely used in the field of civil engineering. A survey of related literatures on the research and application of the HPFL strip reinforcement technique for Masonry structures were shown in this paper. The HPFL strip reinforcement technique can significantly improve the properties of the wall, e.g. the aseismatic capacity, shear resistant strength, ductility, energy dissipation. Moreover, based on the real engineering structures, the specific design and construction method were presented in this paper.


In this article, I contend that asylum should at times act as a form of reparation for past injustice. This function, I argue, stems from states' special obligation to provide asylum to refugees for whose lack of state protection they are responsible. After suggesting that the development of a theory of asylum as reparation necessitates a diachronic approach, I outline the conditions under which asylum should function reparatively, and draw on the reparations framework within international law to suggest that asylum can provide refugees with meaningful restitution, compensation and satisfaction. In particular, I seek to identify the conditions under which asylum constitutes the most fitting form of reparation for the harm of refugeehood that is available to states. Finally, I explore the question of how direct the causal link between a state's actions and a refugee's flight must be for the former to owe asylum to the latter.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of copper pad surface composition on the wetting of solder bumps during reflow processing for a certain no-flow underfill material. A purchased uncleaned copper foil which was laminated on FR4 board and an in-house developed G25 no-flow underfill encapsulant were used in this study. Six different procedures were followed to clean the copper foil to obtain six different surfaces. XPS was then used to examine the surface composition of the six surfaces and the uncleaned surface (as a control). The actual wetting test for each surface was performed using small eutectic solder balls. The correlation of the surface composition of copper foil (equivalent to the copper pads of substrates) with the solder wetting was then established. The composition of the copper foil surface was verified to depend on the cleaning procedure. For G25 no-flow underfill material, copper oxide (CuO) is the main composition that prevents the solder ball from wetting the copper foils, while the observed organic contamination does not have a noticeable effect on the solder wetting.


Understanding the mechanical properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is crucial not only to yield robust practical applications, but also to advance fundamental research underpinning the flexibility of a myriad of open-framework chemical compounds. Herein we present one of the most comprehensive structural analyses yet on MOF-mechanics: elucidating the complex elastic response of an isoreticular series of topical Zr-based MOFs, explaining all the important mechanical properties, and identifying major trends arising from systematic organic linker exchange. Ab initio density functional theory (DFT) was employed to establish the single-crystal elastic constants of the nanoporous MIL-140(A-D) structures, generating a complete 3-D representation of the principal mechanical properties, encompassing the Young's modulus, shear modulus, linear compressibility and Poisson's ratio. Of particular interest, we discovered significantly high values of both positive and negative linear compressibility and Poisson's ratio, whose framework molecular mechanisms responsible for such elastic anomalies have been fully revealed. In addition to pinpointing large elastic anisotropy and unusual physical properties, we analyzed the bulk modulus of isoreticular Zr-MOF compounds to understand the framework structural resistance against the hydrostatic pressure, and determined the averaged mechanical behaviour of bulk (polycrystalline) MOF materials important for the design of emergent applications.


The quality of the interfaces in multilayer composites is a critical issue in the reliability testing of the composite product during the manufacturing process and in-service. Weak interfaces have often gone undetected and may become potentially defective at a later stage. One example is the interface between mold compound and silicon (MC/Si) in IC packaging. There is a desire to study the interface quality quantitatively, so the potential defective area can be evaluated and identified early. In this paper, a nondestructive evaluation methodology is proposed to measure the available strength of the interface by using ultrasonic reflection coefficients. It is known that interface degradation can be either due to poor manufacturing process and stress loading. Characterization of the interface quality of the MC/Si interface is first conducted by measuring longitudinal ultrasonic wave reflections from the interface samples fabricated under varying conditioning processes that simulate the degradation. A combined test that measures the reflection coefficient of the interface under stress load has also been conducted to quantify the effect of the load. Finally, it is shown that the overall effect on the reflection coefficient and available strength of the interface is derived and can be used as a quantitative indicator.


This article addresses the Beckett Digital Manuscript Project, an evolving project, currently comprising a series of digital genetic editions of Samuel Beckett's bilingual literary drafts and a digital library. Following the genetic school of editing, the project's goal is to explore and represent as fully as possible the evolutionary dynamics of Beckett's composition process. The robust editorial framework alongside the sophisticated technical development and design of the project succeed to manage a vast amount of complex primary material and to offer an insight into Beckett's writing, by enabling multiple processing of facsimiles, transcriptions and comparisons of variants in a user-friendly way. The 'Beckett Digital Library' further enables a comprehensive approach to the concept of textual genesis and to Beckett's intellectual influences. Moreover, the project contains exemplary documentation as well as a number of spin-off outputs. However, key improvements could still be made mainly to its publication and business strategies, currently a subscription model, in order to increase the access to the project and its further contribution to the scholarly community.


Abstract
 Across the tree of life, molecular phylogenetic studies often reveal surprising relationships between taxa with radically different morphologies that have long obscured their close affiliations. A spectacular botanical example is Rafflesia, a holoparasite that produces the largest flowers in the world, but that evolved from tiny-flowered ancestors within the Euphorbiaceae. Outside of parasitic lineages, such abrupt transformations are rarely seen. One exception involves the "maidenhair ferns" (Adiantum), which are quintessential ferns: beautifully dissected, terrestrial, and shade loving. The closely related "shoestring ferns" (vittarioids), in contrast, have an extremely simplified morphology, are canopy-dwelling epiphytes, and exhibit greatly accelerated rates of molecular evolution. While Adiantum and the vittarioids together have been shown to form a robust monophyletic group (adiantoids), there remain unanswered questions regarding the monophyly of Adiantum and the evolutionary history of the vittarioids. Here we review recent phylogenetic evidence suggesting support for the monophyly of Adiantum, and analyze new plastid data to confirm this result. We find that Adiantum is monophyletic and sister to the vittarioids. With this robust phylogenetic framework established for the broadest relationships in the adiantoid clade, we can now focus on understanding the evolutionary processes associated with the extreme morphological, ecological, and genetic transitions that took place within this lineage.


Deep learning has reached excellent results in various applications of computer vision, such as image classification, segmentation or object detection. However, due to the lack of labeled data, it is not always possible to fully exploit the potential of this approach for target recognition in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Indeed, most of the time, the targets are not available for a large range of aspect or depression angles. Moreover, unlike in computer vision, common data augmentation cannot be considered because of the physical mechanisms arising in SAR imaging. To overcome these difficulties, we can use simulators based on physical models. Unfortunately, these models are either too simplified to generate realistic SAR images or require too much calculation time. Moreover, even the most accurate model cannot include all physical phenomena. Thus, fine-tuning or domain adaptation methods should be implemented. Another way, considered in this paper, consists in using Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) to generate synthetic SAR images. However, training GANs from a small database is still a challenging problem. In this contribution, to complete the missing aspect angles in the database, we explore several GANs with class and aspect angle conditions. Numerical results show that they allow to improve the performance of classifiers.


In the last decade, studies on wildlife worldwide have discovered key epidemiological aspects of the sylvatic cycle of Toxoplasma gondii. However, despite the known role of wild felines as definitive hosts in the transmission and maintenance of this parasite, few studies have focused on the involvement of these animals. Brazil exhibits the largest number of wild felid species in the Americas, all of which have a critical conservation status. However, serological detections, epidemiological studies and some molecular characterizations of T. gondii have primarily used Neotropical felid populations that are maintained in captivity, which does not reflect the disease behavior in free-living conditions. A systematic review of the worldwide scientific literature was conducted focusing on toxoplasmosis in small Neotropical felids. This review covered a number of aspects, including the state of scientific research, parasite transmission in the wild, the genetic characteristics of isolates, the relationship between these genetic characteristics and the pathogenicity of the parasite, and the risk factors linked to conflicts with humans. The present review shows the relevance of studying these felid populations based on their frequent interactions with humans in peri-urban areas and the need for further comprehensive studies to establish the real significance of T. gondii in public and animal health in tropical and temperate regions.


Soil samples collected in October from the root zone of a lO-year old guava tree from Boushehr (l) revealed the presence of Tylenchorhynchus cylindricus Cobb 1913 when processed by Baermann funnel technique and examined under a compound microscope after preparation of temporary mounts. Additional samples taken from the other guava trees of the same city, indicated the wide distribution of this nematode and in a considerably large numbers (with a maximum of about 2000 nematodes / 100 cc soil). The pathogenicity tests conducted by several investigators (Reynolds and Evans 1953, Havertz 1957, Thorne 1961) have demonstrated that this species can cause appreciable stunting of Hopi M cotton, and Tepary bean (Reynolds and Evans 1953, Thorne 1961), and crested wheat grass (Havertz 1957). Therefore, although the guava tree does not appear to be of any economic importance in this country, the hostparasite relationships is worth studying where Psidium guajava L. is of economic value (Chandler 1958, Mowry et al. 1958).


Three experiments were performed to study the luteinizing hormone (LH) and ovulatory responses to various doses and methods of administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in estrous pony mares and the influence of estradiol-17beta (E2-17beta) on LH response to GnRH treatment. In experiment 1, single injections of synthetic GnRH were subcutaneously given to 5 groups of estrous (day 2) mares (3 mares/group) on a body weight basis as follows: group A--isotonic saline solution; group B--GnRH, 0.14 mug/kg; group C--GnRH, 0.28 mug/kg; group D--KGnRH, 0.59 mug/kg; and group E--GnRH, 2.37 mug/kg. Significant increase of plasma LH concentration lasting for approximately 2 hours occurred only in mares of group E given the largest dose of GnRH (2.37 mug/kg). Plasma LH concentration increase at 1 hour after treatment approached significane (P less than 0.10) in mares of group D given the next smaller dose. In experiment 2, GnRH (2.37 mug/kg) was intravenously infused for 24 hours to a group of 6 mares (group F); 6 other mares (group G) were given saline solution infusion. Mean plasma LH concentration was increased at 3 hours, continued to increase until 6 hours, and remained at approximately the 6-hour concentration throughout the period of GnRH infusion. In the 3rd experiment, 3 groups of mares (4 mares/group) were subcutaneously given the following treatments on days 2 and 3 of estrus, respectively: group H--corn oil and saline solution; group I--corn oil and GnRH, 0.59 mug/kg; and group J--estradiol-17beta, 0.5 mg, and GnRH, 0.59 mug/kg. Plasma LH response was not seen in group H mares given corn oil and saline solution. Mean plasma LH concentration at 1 hour after administration of GnRH approached significance (P less than 0.10) in group I mares given corn oil and GnRH. For the mares in group J given E2-17beta and GnRH, E2-17beta pretreatment increased plasma LH after 24 horus; significnat increases of plasma LH concentration were seen from 1 to 6 hours after GnRH injection. None of the treatments in experiments 1, 2, and 3 significantly altered the time of ovulation.


There is increasing evidence that protein function can be modified by nitration of tyrosine residue(s), a reaction catalyzed by proteins with peroxidase activity, or that occurs by interaction with peroxynitrite, a highly reactive oxidant formed by the reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide. Although there are numerous reports describing loss of function after treatment of proteins with peroxynitrite, we recently demonstrated that the microsomal glutathione S-transferase 1 is activated rather than inactivated by peroxynitrite and suggested that this could be attributed to nitration of tyrosine residues rather than to other effects of peroxynitrite. In this report, the nitrated tyrosine residues of peroxynitrite-treated microsomal glutathione S-transferase 1 were characterized by mass spectrometry and their functional significance determined. Of the seven tyrosine residues present in the protein, only those at positions 92 and 153 were nitrated after treatment with peroxynitrite. Three mutants (Y92F, Y153F, and Y92F, Y153F) were created using site-directed mutagenesis and expressed in LLC-PK1 cells. Treatment of the microsomal fractions of these cells with peroxynitrite resulted in an ∼2-fold increase in enzyme activity in cells expressing the wild type microsomal glutathione S-transferase 1 or the Y153F mutant, whereas the enzyme activity of Y92F and double site mutant was unaffected. These results indicate that activation of microsomal glutathione S-transferase 1 by peroxynitrite is mediated by nitration of tyrosine residue 92 and represents one of the few examples in which a gain in function has been associated with nitration of a specific tyrosine residue.


This study investigated habitat characteristics that have been postulated to influence the occurrence of noisy miners (Manorina melanocephala Family Meliphagidae). It builds on an earlier study that identified corners along remnant edges as important predictors of the presence of noisy miners in large blocks of remnant vegetation (>300 ha). Six habitat characteristics were recorded at 39 corner sites within the box-ironbark region of Victoria. We failed to detect any significant effect of the density of understorey vegetation on the likelihood of noisy miners occupying a site, but this might have been an artefact of prolonged drought conditions. The most powerful predictors of the presence of noisy miners at remnant corners were found to be soil type and the proportion of canopy trees at a site that were yellow gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon), with noisy miners being associated with deeper, more fertile soils and higher proportions of yellow gums present. As yellow gum is a prolific and reliable nectar producer, the inherent productivity of a site might be more important in determining the attractiveness of a site to noisy miners than structural attributes like the presence or absence of an understorey. Noisy miners are sedentary colonial birds that occupy year-round territories, often at high densities. Sites capable of supporting such high density occupation year-round might be limited to the most productive sites within the landscape. This productivity hypothesis has potentially profound implications for other woodland avifauna, as noisy miners might be excluding other woodland birds from some of the most fertile components of the landscape; components that are already rare in the box-ironbark region due preferential clearing for agriculture at the time of settlement.


Background: The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) opened in 2005 with a social accountability mandate to contribute to improving the health of the people and communities of Northern Ontario. NOSM recruits students from Northern Ontario or similar backgrounds and provides Distributed Community Engaged Learning in over 90 clinical and community settings located in the region, a vast underserved rural part of Canada. This paper presents outcomes for graduates of NOSM's undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs with emphasis on NOSM's social accountability mandate. Methods: NOSM and the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRaNHR) used mixed methods that include administrative data from NOSM and external sources, as well as surveys and interviews of students, graduates and other informants. Results: 92% of all NOSM students come from Northern Ontario with substantial inclusion of Indigenous (7%) and Francophone (22%) students. 62% of NOSM graduates have chosen family practice (predominantly rural) training. 94% of the doctors who completed undergraduate and postgraduate education with NOSM are practising in Northern Ontario. The socio-economic impact of NOSM included: new economic activity, more than double the School's budget; enhanced retention and recruitment for the universities and hospitals/health services; and a sense of empowerment among community participants attributable in large part to NOSM. Discussion: There are signs that NOSM is successful in graduating doctors who have the skills and the commitment to practice in rural/remote communities and that NOSM is having a largely positive socio-economic impact on Northern Ontario.


An electrostatic attraction strategy was employed for the preparation of highly conductive composites using commercialized graphene or multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as conductive fillers and polystyrene (PS) microspheres as the resin matrix. The PS microspheres were first sulfonated to endow them with a highly negatively charged surface while the nanocarbons were positively charged in water using an amino-functionalized perylene bisimide as a stabilizer. Direct mixing of the sulfonated PS microsphere and the aqueous nanocarbon dispersion produced agglomerates with PS–nanocarbon core–shell structure due to electrostatic attraction interaction. An interconnected conductive network was formed after hot-pressing the agglomerates. Because of the strong electrostatic attraction and the high Tg temperature of the sulfonated layer, the interconnected conductive network was well-preserved even at a low filler content or a high hot-pressing temperature, resulting in an ultralow percolation threshold of the composites (<0.047 vol%) and conductivity up to 104 S m−1 at a graphene content of 4.51 vol%, and to 391 S m−1 at a MWCNTs content of 3.20 vol%. The above approach is time-saving and applicable to the manufacture of other conductive polymer-based composites.


Address management is a critical process in a network, because any node wishing to make part of the network must first obtain an address. Address management in MANETs poses particular challenges, due to their operation conditions, their dynamic topology and the unique events that take place inside them. This article presents an approach for solving the address management problem in this environment, using the self-organization and emergency principles governing the behavior of social insect colonies, particularly ant colonies. The article presents results that evaluate the proposal's validity and efficiency through several scenarios. Three fundamental aspects were evaluated: Model functionality, efficiency and impact on user applications. The obtained results show the proposed model is able to identify, manage and solve all the events related to address management in a MANET, in an efficient manner.


Global electrical grids are verging on the largest technological transformation since the introduction of electricity into the home. The antiquated infrastructure that delivers power to our homes and businesses is being replaced with a collection of digital systems called the smart grid. This grid is the modernization of the existing electrical system that enhances customers' and utilities' ability to monitor, control, and predict energy use.


Oenococcus oeni is the main responsible agent for malolactic fermentation in wine, an unpredictable and erratic process in winemaking. To address this, we have constructed and exhaustively curated the first genome-scale metabolic model of Oenococcus oeni, comprising 660 reactions, 536 metabolites and 454 genes. In silico experiments revealed that nutritional requirements are predicted with an accuracy of 93%, while 14 amino acids were found to be essential for the growth of this bacterial species. When the model was applied to determine the non-growth associated maintenance, results showed that O. oeni grown at 12% ethanol concentration spent 30 times more ATP to stay alive than in the absence of ethanol. Most of this ATP is employed for extruding protons outside of the cell. A positive relationship was also found between specific consumption rates of fructose, amino acids, oxygen, and malic acid and the specific production rates of erythritol, lactate, and acetate, according to the ethanol content of the medium. The metabolic model reconstructed here represents a unique tool to predict the successful completion of wine malolactic fermentation carried out either by different strains of Oenococcus oeni, as well as at any particular physico-chemical composition of wine. It will also allow the development of consortium metabolic models that could be applied to winemaking to simulate and understand the interactions between O. oeni and other microorganisms that share this ecological niche.


The Weissinger method for determining additional span loading for incompressible flow is used to find the damping in roll, the lateral center of pressure of the rolling for wing plan forms of various aspect ratios, taper ratios, and sweep angles. In addition, the applicability of the method to the determination of certain other aerodynamic derivatives is investigated, and corrections for the first-order effects of compressibility are indicated. The agreement obtained between experimentally and theoretically determined values for the aerodynamic coefficients indicates that the method of Weissinger is well suited to the calculation of such resulting aerodynamic derivatives of wings as do not involve considerations of tip suction.


Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) regulate cell proliferation and functional maturation through the EGF receptor (EGF-R). Their roles in human tooth development and odontogenic tumorigenesis have not been explored. We studied the expression of EGF, TGF-alpha and EGF-R in human fetal teeth (cap stage to early hard tissue formation) and various odontogenic tumors. EGF-R mRNA and immunoreactive cells were mostly located in odontogenic epithelium. EGF-R expression was subject to temporospatial variation at different stages of tooth development. EGF and TGF-alpha mRNAs were detected in fetal teeth only by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). However, EGF and TGF-alpha immunoreactive cells were demonstrated in epithelial elements of tooth germ, suggesting that the peptides partially originate from non-odontogenic sources. In odontogenic tumors, EGF-R mRNA and immunoreactivity were confined to neoplastic epithelium. Transcripts for TGF-alpha but not for EGF were detected in tumors of odontogenic epithelial, epithelial-ectomesenchymal and ectomesenchymal origins. It is concluded that regulation of EGF-R expression is developmentally regulated in human odontogenesis. Furthermore, the odontogenic epithelium is the main target tissue for both EGF and TGF-alpha during tooth development. TGF-alpha and its receptor may also be involved in odontogenic tumorigenesis.


ABSTRACT Straw bale construction offers a renewable, sustainable and proven alternative to mainstream building methods; still, little is known about its airflow characteristics. To this end, the intent of this paper is to evaluate airtightness of fully constructed and plastered straw bale walls as well as individual plain straw bales. The first experiment entailed measuring the influence of straw bale orientation on airflow characteristics with the finding that straw bale considered alone has poor air flow-retarding characteristics and that plaster is the primary air barrier. A second experiment involved thirty plastered straw bale specimens using three different plaster types. From this experiment, a crack grading system was developed and is herein proposed as a tool to evaluate plaster performance as an air barrier. A third experiment validated the crack grade system through application on four fully constructed straw bale walls. Practical use of the crack grading system was demonstrated on a case study...


We investigate the electronic structure of the strongly anisotropic, quasi low dimensional purple bronze Li0.9Mo6O17. Building on all-electron ab-initio band structure calculations we obtain an effective model in terms of four maximally localized Wannier orbitals, which turn out to be far from atomic like. We find two half-filled orbitals arranged in chains running along one crystallographic direction, and two full orbitals in perpendicular directions, respectively. An even more minimalistic effective model with reduced dimensionality, comprised of only two chains per unit cell with inter-chain coupling, is derived. Transport properties of these models show high anisotropy, reproducing trends of the experimentally determined highly anisotropic values for the dc conductivity. We also consider basic effects of electron-electron interactions using the (extended) Variational Cluster Approach and Dynamical Mean Field Theory. We find good agreement with experimental photo emission data when using a moderate on-site interaction of the order of the bandwidth. The obtained models provide a profound basis for further investigations on low-energy Luttinger liquid properties or to study electronic correlations within computational many-body theory.


The patterning of structural colored materials has a significant impact on various applications such as flexible displays, anti‐counterfeiting patches, colorimetric sensors, etc. Herein, a sessile microdroplet‐based writing board is presented to pattern magnetochromatic hydrogels with abundant structural colors and improved optical performance. It is demonstrated that predesigned hydrophilic patterns on a hydrophobic writing board can capture a mixture of polymer and Fe3O4@SiO2 magnetic nanoparticles inks with a spatial resolution of ≈100 pin per 1 cm2 while retaining magnetic field responsibility to the lower limit of 84 Gs. The inks are self‐partitioned into microdroplet arrays, which would in situ transform into structural colored hydrogels within a short time via thiol‐Michael addition. In contrast to conventional evaporation induced assembly of colloidal photonic crystals in sessile droplets, the resulting structural colored hydrogel microarrays show not only good stability and optical adjustability but tunable morphologies. In addition, the introduction of the microfluidic mixing and ink dispensing system greatly shortens the time interval from the polymer mixing to sessile droplet generation, circumvents the challenge of short operation time for the self‐crosslinking ink components, and enables the direct handwriting of high quality structural colored patterns.


In regard to Mr. Thedchanamoorthy's comments on our published article Analog quantizing circuit, let me restate the introductory premise: &dquo;The quantization circuit developed by the authors proved to be useful and interesting for their specific application.&dquo; Also explicitly noted in the article introduction was the fact that the circuit was developed for a particular hybrid control system study. Several modifications could be made if different characteristics .were desired. A &dquo;General Case&dquo; variation of the authors' circuit (such as submitted) would undoubtedly be more suitable for tutorial purposes; however, the circuit was published as actually implemented. Mr. Thedchanamoorthy is correct in pointing out the


The authors of Complex Worlds from Simpler Nervous Systems explain how animals with small, often minuscule, nervous systems -- jumping spiders, bees, praying mantids, toads, and others -- are not the simple "reflex machines" they were once thought to be. Because these animals live in the same world as do much larger species, they must meet the same environmental challenges. They do so by constructing complex perceptual worlds within which they can weigh options, make decisions, integrate unique experiences, apply complex algorithms, and execute plans -- and they must do this with thousands rather than the billions of neurons necessary for their larger counterparts.The authors of each chapter, leading neuroscientists and animal behaviorists, present their research in ways that allow the reader to understand this process from the animal's perspective. The first of the book's three parts, "Creating Visual Worlds: Using Abstract Representations and Algorithms," examines the visual worlds of jumping spiders, honeybees, praying mantids, and toads. Part II, "Enhancing the Visual Basics: Using Color and Polarization," explores color vision and light polarization perception in honeybees, butterflies, crayfish, mantis shrimps, and octopuses. The final part, "Out of Sight: Creating Extravisual Worlds," examines the complex integration of visual and mechanosensory information in the cockroach and the unique auditory world of the unusual bladder grasshopper. All of these fascinating stories can be read both for what they teach us about the perceptual worlds of little animals, and for what they suggest about the general organizing principles of all central nervous systems, both "simple" and complex.


Abstract Due to the development of social media, posting one's photos is becoming increasingly popular; they often take the form of, so called, 'selfie'. The phenomenon of photographing oneself has also occurred in cultural institutions, including museums. The museums are implementing various strategies of reacting to people taking pictures of themselves with exhibits at the background. The article presents an analysis of these reactions, and, based on that, various ways of defining the functions and role of the contemporary museum. The author also attempts to provide an answer to the following question: is posting photographs by visitors an element of creating their own image ('the Culture of Narcissism'), or is it rather a form of interaction with heritage, of a dialogue with the presented contents ('remix culture')?


Drawing upon academic and critical literature, the introduction to this exegesis considers how J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954) became the 'norm' in modern second-world fantasy. Just as Tolkien's 'high fantasy' mediated the fantasies of the sociohistorical periods that preceded it (James, 2012), so subsequent fantasy authors and sub-genres have inherited from and had to react against 'high fantasy' in order to discover their own definitions and distinct voices, styles and relevance. Thus, the introduction argues, in order to define and demonstrate the distinct nature of second-world 'metaphysical fantasy', of which Empire of the Saviours (2011) is a defining novel, this exegesis is required to show how the second-world 'epic fantasy' of the 1980s and 90s inherited from and reacted against 'high fantasy', and how 'metaphysical fantasy' in turned inherited from and reacted against the 'epic fantasy' sub-genre. There is also a discussion of how competing sub-genre definitions within academia and the publishing industry have complicated the debate.

The first chapter considers the sociohistorical context of the development of the various sub-genres of fantasy literature, moving from the 'high fantasy' of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, through the nature-based fantasy of the 1960s, to the 'swords and planets' sci-fi crossover sub-genre of the 1970s, to the 'epic fantasy' of the 1980s and 90s, to the 'urban fantasy', 'flintlock fantasy', 'steampunk' and 'comedic fantasy' of the new millennium, to the 'dark fantasy' and 'metaphysical fantasy' (the latter established by my various novels) of the mid to late 2000s, to the 'grimdark fantasy' and 'dystopian YA' of the 2010s. The chapter shows how each sub-genre is informed by and reacts to its own sociohistorical moment and that each sub-genre in large part derives its distinctiveness from that unique moment.

The second chapter considers how second-world 'metaphysical fantasy' in large part derives its definition and particular motifs from a 'Millennial' sociohistorical moment. The chapter then analyses how 'metaphysical fantasy' is distinctly informed by, reacts to and differs from the preceding sub-genre of second-world 'epic fantasy'. Finally, the chapter considers how subsequent second-world 'grimdark fantasy' is informed by, reacts to and differs from 'metaphysical fantasy'.

The third chapter sets out how my novel Empire of the Saviours further exemplifies 'metaphysical fantasy' and has served to establish the sub-genre as a distinct and valuable contribution to the wider genre of fantasy. Drawing upon Empire of the Saviours, the chapter identifies further literary features and themes (other than those detailed in the second chapter) that are unique to the 'metaphysical fantasy' sub-genre.


We consider the problem of reliably broadcasting messages in a network where some nodes are likely to fail. We consider the most general failure model: the Byzantine model, where the failing nodes have an arbitrary behavior, and may actively try to destabilize the network. We focus on totally decentralized solutions. Most existing solutions require high network connectivity, and are not adapted to sparsely connected networks. A typical example is the grid, where each node has at most four neighbors. In this paper, we propose a new broadcast protocol adapted to such networks. This protocol is based on interconnected subsets called control zones, that filter the diffusion of false messages. We give a methodology to determine a set of nodes that always communicate reliably, depending on the placement of Byzantine nodes. We then use this methodology to perform an experimental evaluation on square and hexagonal grids, in the presence of randomly distributed Byzantine failures. We show that our protocol significantly improves the communication probability, compared to existing solutions.


Reducing multiple and concurrent partnerships has been identified as a priority in generalised HIV epidemics, yet developing successful interventions to bring about such behaviour change has proven challenging. We offered a three-session intervention aimed to improve couple relationship quality and address HIV risk factors, particularly concurrent sexual partnerships (CSP), in a peri-urban community of Kampala, Uganda. Before launching the intervention, a different group of community members participated in eight single-gender focus group discussions (FGDs) which explored issues of couple relationship quality and satisfaction. Findings from the FGDs guided the intervention. All 162 couples invited to the intervention completed a survey pre- and post-intervention. In FGDs, women and men discussed challenges faced in their relationships, including pervasive dissatisfaction, financial constraints, deception and lack of trust, poor communication, lack of sexual satisfaction, and concurrent sexual partnerships. A difference-in-difference analysis showed no measurable impact of the intervention on relationship quality or sexual risk behaviours over a six-month follow-up among 183 individuals who participated in the intervention, although many stated in response to open-ended questions that they had experienced positive relationship changes. Qualitative findings suggest high demand for couple-focused interventions but also reveal many individual-, couple-, community- and structural-level factors which contribute to women and men seeking concurrent sexual partnerships. More intensive interventions may be needed to overcome these barriers to behaviour change and reduce HIV risk. These findings also raise questions about how to interpret divergent qualitative and quantitative data, a topic which has received little attention in the literature.


The proton-coupled oligopeptide transporter PEPT1 (SLC15A1) is abundantly expressed in the small intestine, but not colon, of mammals and found to mediate the uptake of di/tripeptides and peptide-like drugs from the intestinal lumen. However, species differences have been observed in both the expression (and localization) of PEPT1 and its substrate affinity. With this in mind, the objectives of this study were to develop a humanized PEPT1 mouse model (huPEPT1) and to characterize hPEPT1 expression and functional activity in the intestines. Thus, after generating huPEPT1 mice in animals previously nulled for mouse Pept1, phenotypic, PCR, and immunoblot analyses were performed, along with in situ single-pass intestinal perfusion and in vivo oral pharmacokinetic studies with a model dipeptide, glycylsarcosine (GlySar). Overall, the huPEPT1 mice had normal survival rates, fertility, litter size, gender distribution, and body weight. There was no obvious behavioral or pathological phenotype. The mRNA and protein profiles indicated that huPEPT1 mice had substantial PEPT1 expression in all regions of the small intestine (i.e., duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) along with low but measurable expression in both proximal and distal segments of the colon. In agreement with PEPT1 expression, the in situ permeability of GlySar in huPEPT1 mice was similar to but lower than wildtype animals in small intestine, and greater than wildtype mice in colon. However, a species difference existed in the in situ transport kinetics of jejunal PEPT1, in which the maximal flux and Michaelis constant of GlySar were reduced 7-fold and 2- to 4-fold, respectively, in huPEPT1 compared to wildtype mice. Still, the in vivo function of intestinal PEPT1 appeared fully restored (compared to Pept1 knockout mice) as indicated by the nearly identical pharmacokinetics and plasma concentration–time profiles following a 5.0 nmol/g oral dose of GlySar to huPEPT1 and wildtype mice. This study reports, for the first time, the development and characterization of mice humanized for PEPT1. This novel transgenic huPEPT1 mouse model should prove useful in examining the role, relevance, and regulation of PEPT1 in diet and disease, and in the drug discovery process.


The catalytic hydrotreatment of Kraft lignin using sulfided NiMo and CoMo catalysts on different acidic and basic supports (Al2O3, ZSM-5, activated carbon (AC) and MgO-La2O3) was studied in the absence of a solvent. Experiments were carried out in a batch set-up at a reaction temperature of 350 °C, 4 h and 100 bar initial H2 pressure. The catalysts before and after reaction were characterized by X-ray diffraction, temperature programmed desorption of ammonia/CO2, BET surface area and scanning electron microscopy. The liquid products were fractionated and analyzed extensively by different techniques such as GPC, GC-MS-FID, GC-TCD, FT-IR, 13C-NMR and elemental analyses. Two dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC-FID) was applied to identify distinct groups of compounds (aromatics, alkylphenolics, alkanes) after reaction, and product quantification was performed based on this method. Catalyst activity is a function of the support and increased in the order Al2O3 < ZSM-5 < AC = MgO-La2O3. In addition, the support also largely influenced the extent of depolymerization and monomer yield. The highest lignin oil yields were obtained using the sulfided NiMo supported on activated carbon and MgO-La2O3. The highest total monomer yield 26.4 wt% on lignin intake, which included 15.7 wt% alkyl-phenolics was obtained using the sulfided NiMo/MgO-La2O3 catalyst.


ABSTRACT Electronic evidence is increasingly important for criminal investigations and prosecutions. The collection of e-evidence is typically regulated on the basis of established data categories, which currently to a large extent are modelled on how traditional telecommunication providers used to process communication data. Developments in computer technology however, mean that this model is no longer viable to categorise many forms of data. Given the relevance of effective and efficient collection of e-evidence by law enforcement and judicial authorities, a new paradigm for data categorisation should be established. In this article, based on an examination of relevant international legal frameworks, a new model for data categorisation is proposed.


We propose a mobile agent based QoS management system to satisfy the five functional principles of QoS architecture, i.e., integration, separation, transparency, asynchronous resource management and performance. The mobile agent paradigm is a unique paradigm in contrast to the traditional client/server paradigm in a problem inherently distributed and complex, such as QoS management. This paradigm saves a considerable amount of bandwidth and reduces network traffic. We present analytical and simulation models of a mobile agent based bandwidth negotiation and management system for multimedia communication. Response time of the mobile agent is computed with different number of retransmissions and the intermediate "hops" for both the models. It is observed that the response time of the agent increases with the increase in the number of retransmissions and the hops. We also show that the increase in the arrival of mobile agents would affect the admission of new multimedia applications.


The rise of allergic diseases warrants an investigation of various environmental factors that are able to influence man negatively. By interacting with the human organism, bacteria and their decomposition products are well-known to stimulate different immunological reactions. The 24-month study has indicated that the total bacterial contamination of dust and the typical diversity of microbes depend on the season. In winter the occurrence ofgram-negative bacteria is high. The latter is indicative of that the dust of flats may contain high levels of endotoxin and thus the less comfort of life in the individuals who are genetically predisposed to hypersensitivity.


The accurate sonographic estimate of fetal weight is helpful in those instances when the fetal weight estimate might alter clinical management. Most sonographic weight predicting formulas have been based predominantly on measurements from the term fetus and then applied to the preterm fetus. Yet, the morphology of the preterm and term fetus differs considerably. The authors have examined the predictive accuracy of three published sonographic formulas in 69 preterm fetuses scanned within 48 hours of delivery. The mean birth weight was 1396 g. Thirty-nine of the infants were less than 1500 g. Sixty-two percent were products of pregnancies complicated by premature rupture of membranes. The results were compared with new equations derived from combinations of head and abdominal circumferences, biparietal diameter, and femur length obtained from the first 33 fetuses and then tested on the remaining 36. Whereas each formula correlated highly with birth weight, the selected new formula was more accurate than the published formulas by each criteria examined. In contrast to the latter, the mean error (actual minus predicted weight) of most new equations did not significantly differ from zero when tested prospectively. In addition, it appeared that the accuracy of two new formulas not incorporating femur length could be further enhanced in the group of fetuses whose femur length differed from the mean by at least 2 standard deviations by multiplying the predicted weight by the ratio of actual to mean femur length. The authors conclude that the use of head circumference and femur length coupled with a population restricted to the preterm fetus enhances the accuracy of sonographic weight predictions


Angiogenesis is crucial for embryogenesis, reproduction, and wound healing and is a critical determinant of tumor growth and metastasis. The multifunctional signal transducer Ras is a proto-oncogene and frequently becomes mutated in a variety of human cancers, including angiosarcomas. Regulation of Ras is important for endothelial cell function and angiogenesis. Hyperactivation of Ras is linked with oncogene-induced senescence in many cell types. Given links between vascular malformations and angiosarcoma with activated Ras signaling, we sought to determine the consequence of sustained Ras activation on endothelial cell function. We find that sustained Ras activation in primary endothelial cells leads to prolonged activation of progrowth signaling, accompanied by a senescence bypass, enhanced proliferation, autonomous growth, and increased survival. Moreover, Ras severely compromises the ability of these cells to organize into vascular structures, instead promoting formation of planar endothelial sheets. This abnormal phenotype is regulated by phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling, highlighting the therapeutic potential of agents targeting this axis in dealing with vascular morphogenic disorders and vascular normalization of tumors.


In the present context, 'model' is expressed as a computer program that can be repeatedly run several times for computing several designed mathematical or statistical expressions (equations) governing crop growth-environment relations, given appropriate input data. The experiment station yields obtained under a rainfed situation without any nutrient deficiency mostly considered as the potential yields of rainfed crops. Actual yields are obtained by recording crop yields of farmers in the region under investigation and achievable yield is between actual and potential yield. Actual yields are compared with the potential yields to estimate yield gaps of crops for that area and others which have the same agro-ecology. Achievable yield is determined by factors like availability of moisture and nutrients, Precipitation and irrigation as input, Soil profile water holding characteristics, Plant water balance (transpiration, water uptake), Soil water balance (evaporation, infiltration, runoff, flow, drainage) and Nitrogen fertilizer applications as input, Soil nitrogen conditions, Plant nitrogen balance (uptake, fixation, mobilization), Soil nitrogen balance (mineralization, immobilization, nitrification, denitrification). Generally, modeling Achievable yield of farm depend on water and nutrient data of the area and Actual yield is determined by factors like weeds, insect pests, diseases and pollutants.


The paper published recently in your journal by Mitchell et al.' on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in New Zealand made brief mention of the cases and controls on whom full data was not available. It is important to verify that those not included in the analyses would not have made any substantial change to the results and conclusions of the study. The following describes those not included in the analyses and the effect they could have had on the results reported. There were 485 infants classified as SIDS. Parents of 92 (19.0%) of these infants were not interviewed and the obstetric records for 20 (4.lo/o) infants could not be located. Included in these numbers are 14 for whom both conditions are true. The 92 were not interviewed because 52 (57%) refused to participate, 27 (29%) could not be found and 13 (14%) for other reasons. There were an additional 17 infants who had missing data on selected variables that meant they were eliminated from the multivariate analyses. There were 1800 controls selected originally, 208 (1 1.6%) were not interviewed and for 38 (2.1%) their obstetric records could not be found. Included in these numbers are 27 for whom both conditions are true. The 208 were not interviewed because 104 (50%) refused to participate, 56 (27%) could not be found, 22 (11%) were overseas and 26 (13%) for other reasons. There were also 21 babies who had missing data on selected variables. Many of those with missing data can be compared with those with full data on a number of variables and this has been done in the case and the control groups separately. Both for cases and controls, the sex ratio and the distribution of birthweight was very similar between those with missing data and those without and consequently the relative risks were very similar. For both cases and controls, there was a much higher percentage of Maori infants in the group with missing data (67% of cases and 31 % of controls) than in those with complete data (44% of cases and 19% of controls). This gives a higher relative risk of SIDS in Maori infants in the missing data than in the complete data, so the inclusion of subjects would have resulted in an increased effect of Maori race in the published multivariate model. A similar situation exists with smokers where those with missing data (both cases and controls) smoked more in pregnancy and had a higher relative risk than those included in the full model. Therefore the inclusion of all subjects would result in smoking appearing more important in the multivariate model. Mothers' age at the birth and also their age at their first pregnancy was younger in the group with missing data, and this group had higher relative risks on these variables compared to those with full data. There was little difference in percentage of those breast-feeding at discharge from hospital among the cases but the controls had a high proportion of mothers not breastfeeding among those with missing data. The univariate relative risk of those without full data (1.43) was less than that for infants with full data (2.56) and so the inclusion of all subjects would have resulted in the effect of breast-feeding being less than in the published multivariate model. Table 1


Over the years, different meanings have been associated with the word consistency in the distributed systems community. While in the '80s "consistency" typically meant strong consistency, later defined also as linearizability, in recent years, with the advent of highly available and scalable systems, the notion of "consistency" has been at the same time both weakened and blurred. In this article, we aim to fill the void in the literature by providing a structured and comprehensive overview of different consistency notions that appeared in distributed systems, and in particular storage systems research, in the last four decades. We overview more than 50 different consistency notions, ranging from linearizability to eventual and weak consistency, defining precisely many of these, in particular where the previous definitions were ambiguous. We further provide a partial order among different consistency predicates, ordering them by their semantic "strength," which we believe will be useful in future research. Finally, we map the consistency semantics to different practical systems and research prototypes. The scope of this article is restricted to non-transactional semantics, that is, those that apply to single storage object operations. As such, our article complements the existing surveys done in the context of transactional, database consistency semantics.


Higher Education is currently undergoing a period of significant challenge and transformation. It is likely that these challenges will, in a comparatively short period of time, lead to changes in the ways in which the higher education experience is both mediated and accessed. These changes have arisen as a result of a number of factors, including the information revolution, and the consequent pace of technological innovation, the increased demand from both employers and government for a more highly skilled workforce and the desire to increase and make more accessible the higher education experience to an increasing proportion of the overall population. All of this has impacted upon the ways in which the higher education experience is represented, and in turn, by which students gain access to the knowledge and skills that will underpin their ability to both learn and perform. Higher education is increasingly being challenged to demonstrate its continued value to the broader community, especially employers, by ensuring that it provides capable, competent and informed citizens adequate to the challenges of a twenty-first century lifetime. If these principles are considered drivers for change, then it is important that the higher education sector can continue to demonstrate its ongoing value to the students who undertake it. It is against this background that this study was developed with the purpose of identifying from the literature, and then to codify into an applicable framework, the critical elements that would determine an assessment as being authentic. The study took as its starting point the importance, in the current educational context, of being able to determine the elements that define an educational experience as being an authentic one. The research commenced with a review of the literature to identify and collate those elements that had been identified by previous researchers in the field. Next these elements, once refined iteratively in practice, were developed into a framework that could be applied by the designer of instruction and assessment, in order to ascertain whether such a framework could be used to support the design of a more authentic assessment experience. This framework was then applied in practice and the student's response to the learning and assessment designed according to these elements was evaluated, and the elements were further reviewed and revised upon the basis of this data. Thus the study was conducted in four phases, in the first of which the researcher explored the problem, in the second the researcher sought the development of a solution, and in the third phase this solution was implemented and evaluated, the findings were presented in the final phase. The findings of this study suggest that not only is it possible to codify those elements critical to the determination of authenticity into such a framework, but moreover, it is possible to systematically apply them in the design of assessment activity. Thus the implication of this research for educators and educational designers who seek to meet a requirement for workplace relevance in the design of their education and assessment activities is that they will have a better opportunity to both identify and then apply specific design principles that will assist them in the better development of assessment outcomes with a clearer workplace applicability.


The distribution of protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) and NADPH-Pchlide oxidoreductase (POR) was characterized in the epicotyls and roots of wild-type pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska) and lip1, a mutant with light-independent photomorphogenesis caused by a mutation in the COP1 locus. The upper part of the dark-grown lip1 mutant epicotyls had a high Pchlide content that decreased downward the organ. The elevated Pchlide level in lip1 seedlings was a result of the differentiation of more proplastids into Pchlide-containing plastids. The cortex cells in the lip1 epicotyl were filled with such plastids in contrast to the cortex cells of wild-type seedlings. The mutant also developed Pchlide-containing plastids in the roots, indicating the suppressing effect of the COP1 locus on development of plastids in the corresponding tissues in dark-grown wild-type plants. The distribution of Pchlide-containing plastids in dark-grown lip1 mutant stem and root was similar to the distribution of chloroplasts in irradiated wild-type plants. Both wild-type and lip1 epicotyls contained mostly short wavelength Pchlide fluorescing at 631 nm with only a small shoulder at 654 nm, which was transformed to a minute amount of chlorophyllide (Chlide) by flash irradiation. In contrast, with continuous irradiation a considerable amount of Chlide was formed especially in the lip1 epicotyls. Immunoblots indicated the presence of POR, as a 36 kDa band, in epicotyls of both dark-grown wild-type and lip1 mutant seedlings. However, lip1 stem tissue had a higher content of POR than the wild-type pea. The high content of POR was unexpected as lip1 lacked both the 654 nm fluorescing Pchlide form and the regular PLBs. In light, a significant amount of chlorophyll was formed also in the roots of the lip1 seedlings.


Abstract. Forest plays an important role not only in providing ecological services but also economic goods to human beings. However, with increase in population there is a wide gap between demand and supply of these goods and services. This has lead to reduction in forest cover which needs to be taken care on regular time interval. To manage the existing forest area and also to increase the forest cover Forest Canopy Density (FCD) methodology is the main factor which was given by International Tropical timber Organization (ITTO). High resolution remote sensing LISS-4 data gives us chance to assess the quality of forest in terms of FCD as Rikimaru et al (1999) stated that FCD is one important parameter to assess forest cover quality. High resolution LISS-4 data analysis for FCD was never attempted before. Authors here attempted to assess the FCD utilizing methodology adopted by Rikimaru (1999), Huang (2001), Azizia (2008). The adopted methodology is one of the most efficient and cost effective way to derive the FCD. For this study Resourcesat-2 LISS-4 post monsoon data of year 2017 for Yamunanagar district was used to assess FCD within notified forest boundary. Notified forest boundaries at cadastral level prepared previously by Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC) was used. The degree of forest canopy density is expressed in percentages: i.e. < 10% FCD (scrub land), 10–20% (Open Forest-I), 20–40% (Open Forest-II), 40–60% (Moderate Dense), 60–80% (Medium Dense) and > 80% (Highly Dense). Forest Canopy Density was based on three indices i.e. Advanced Vegetation Index (AVI), Bare Soil Index (BSI) and Canopy Shadow Index (CSI). Accuracy assessment was done based on ground data and comparison with Coterminous Google Earth imagery and it was found that the devised methodology has achieved overall accuracy of 93% with kappa coefficient of 0.9153. The result shows that maximum forest area in Yamunanagar district is in medium dense FCD category which is approximately 23948.08 acres. This study tells us that 24.2% of the total forest area is under scrub land and open forest which should be focussed for activities in working plan to increase the forest cover. This paper highlights the utility of high resolution satellite data for monitoring and management of forest and improvement in its quality. This attempt provided large scale (1 : 10,000) maps to the forest managers to better equip them in planning for afforestation, reforestation and rehabilitation of water logged areas, environment management and their future aspect.


Four of five individuals possessing homotypic antibody in titers of 8 to 64 were infected on being fed Type III (Leon KP-34) poliovirus attenuated by Sabin by passage through tissue culture. None of the infected subjects or controls showed any evidence of illness which could be attributed to virus infection. There was no evidence of spread of infection to any of the control adult wardmates of the experimental subjects, although the two groups were in close contact: none of the controls excreted virus, none showed any antibody shift. One control who had no Type III antibodies at the start of the experiment was still antibody-negative on the 63rd day of the experiment. Three of the four individuals who became infected had naturally acquired-Type III antibodies; the other had antibodies induced by formalinized vaccine. Virus excretion in the stool was of short duration (7 to 13 days) in the three with natural antibodies, and lasted at least 6 weeks after feeding in the vaccinated child. Virus in the throat was detected only in the two persons receiving the larger virus dose (107.5 TCD50). In them it was present in small amounts between the 2nd and 6th day after feeding. No virus was detected in the blood of any of the infected individuals. The antibody responses of the four infected individuals were variable. There was no clear correlation with virus dosage, amount of virus excretion in the stools, or presence of virus in the throat. Only the child whose neutralizing antibodies were "Salk" vaccine induced showed a marked CF response. The virus excreted by two of the individuals who became infected, as tested in the 2nd tissue culture passage by monkey inoculation, was slightly more neurotropic than the virus which was ingested. Virus excreted by one of these individuals behaved as a virulent strain when tested by the in vitro plaque virulence test, while that isolated from the other had the characteristics of an attenuated strain in this test.


Boolean relations are a generalization of incompletely specified logic functions. The authors give a procedure, similar to the Quine-McCluskey procedure, for finding the global optimum sum-of-product representation for a Boolean relation. This is formulated as a binate covering problem, i.e. as a generalization of the ordinary (unate) covering problem. They give an algorithm for it and review the relation of binate covering to tautology checking. The procedure has been implemented and results are presented.<<ETX>>


Introduction: Usually the pleural cavity contains a small amount of liquid (approximately 10 ml). Pleural effusions appear when the liquid production rate overpasses the absorption rate with a greater amount of liquid inside the pleural cavity. Material and method: Between January 1998 to December 2008 we conducted a study in order to establish the adequate surgical treatment for MPEs. Effective control of a recurrent malignant pleural effusion can greatly improve the quality of life of the cancer patient. The present review collects and examines the clinical results of minimally invasive techniques designed to treat this problem. Results and discussion: Patients with MPEs were studied according to several criteria. In our study we observed the superiority of intraoperative talc poudrage, probably due to a more uniform distribution of talc particles over the pleural surface. Minimal pleurotomy with thoracic drainage and instillation of a talc suspension is also a safe and effective technique and should be employed when there are contraindications for the thoracoscopic minimally invasive procedure. Conclusions: On the basis of comparisons involving effectiveness, morbidity, and convenience, we recommend the thoracoscopic insufflations of talc as a fine powder with pleural drainage as the procedure of choice.